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A site dedicated to discussing a variety of action & martial arts film entertainment. The written and expressive work of the author(s) of Film Combat Syndicate is/are protected by Copyright Law. To send us scoops or share your inquiries, email us at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com.

Directing duo Longman Leung and Sunny Luk had a hit on their hands in 2012 with the Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Ka-Fai headliner, Cold War. On top of its box office earnings that year, the film won a raft of wins and nominations in the festival circuit, further solidifying the next logical step: the sequel.

Korea's Bucheon International Film Festival kicks off its 20th anniversary on July 21, and in great company with a terrific line-up of titles and other events to satisfy attendees. As such, award-winning director Kurando Mitsutake (Gun Woman, Samurai Avenger) is lending his craft to the festivities starting the following day with the premiere of his latest offering, Karate Kill, starring newcomer, actor Hayate in a stellar debut role as a martial arts expert who sets out to find his missing sister.

Director Derek Yee's latest, Sword Master, has quite the work to do upon its release in China this summer. It's opening in 3D and to the masses of many whom may share a history with its predecessor, helmer Chor Yuen's 1977 Shaw Brothers adaptation of Gu Long's classic novel, Death Duel in which Yee himself also starred.

In case you're not fully caught-up, a quick Google search will land you at an interesting find that shows director John H. Lee was once attached to direct a remake of John Woo's The Killer. That was before Woo himself took the lead on it as of last year and I'm only mentioning it because of all the Woo news we've been hearing about in the past week or so.

It was director Lee Jeong-Beom whose 2010 actioner, The Man From Nowhere became a fireball of a hit among moviegoers in Korea, holding the number one spot for five weeks. There's no mistaking why though, taking nods from films like Pierre Morel's Taken (2009) and Tony Scott's Man On Fire (2004) with a formula that provided the necessary means for some of the most terrific and gripping performances ever seen in an action thriller of this caliber.

Spend enough time on Twitter and you may or may not come across a real Twitter account for actor Vinnie Jones. As such, the co-star of Allan Ungar's Gridlocked had been spending the last few days confirming with doubters of the validity of his account in addition to the news of his reunion with writer and director Matthew Vaughn's upcoming sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle inspired by the graphic novel series.

Haven't figured out how to spend your weekends yet? Celestial Pictures laid out the agenda appropriately earlier this week with an announcement highlighting a wide array of Celestial Shaw titles headlining the very names and faces comprising The Venom Mob to be allocated to numerous digital platforms from here on.

There's no question that actor Salman Khan has fought battles both off-screen as well as on. That was the case when he recently made a glib rape joke about the strenuous physical demands of his role in Ali Abbas Zafar's new film, Sultan, and the nature of the action and surely as the media remains tenatively mum, Khan will be sure not to make that mistake while he does have a movie to sell and action fans to cater to.

Season two of the hit Netflix series, Marco Polo, has some pretty high expectations, specifically for action star and actress Michelle Yeoh since briefly co-starring with Tom Wu in the half-hour spin-off, One Hundred Eyes. Thankfully we get plenty of teaser shots of her further in the second half of the latest featurette for the show now online.

Anyone living in the tri-state area with an affinity for Japanese cinema may be keen on events over at Japan Cuts 2016. Their website is live with tickets available for the festival's various features celebrating its 10th anniversary with U.S. premieres, classic showcases, music, panels with special guests, and more.

The wait's been long enough for director Renny Harlin's latest, Skiptrace, to begin going hardcore on its promotional campaign. Now we're here and with a China release set for July 22, a brand new trailer is here to lay claim for fans hard-up for another Jackie Chan headliner.

While all we know of director Jesse V. Johnson's latest production, Savage Dog, is what were shown on the Cannes poster, the expectations are high with action stars, actors Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror, and actress JuJu Chan starring. That said, Zaror himself seems the go-to guy as of late via Instagram as much in touch as he is with his fanbase about his projects.

Well Go USA is proudly releasing director Soi Cheang's Kill Zone 2 on DVD and Blu-Ray on July 19. That's a bit far off from this write-up, but Well Go USA is humbly obliging three lucky Film Combat Syndicate readers with an early chance to score a free Blu-Ray copy by then, making this our SECOND giveaway attributed to the movie since our prize pack contest in May.

Director Pan Anzi is getting a warm IMAX welcome this summer with the release of his new film, For A Few Bullets. A new trailer is online this week to help oblige along with the latest IMAX poster while I certainly hope this one gets a Well Go USA nod myself.

Starting this August I'm bent on catching up with the fervor on director Otomo Keishi's Rurouni Kenshin Trilogy here in the U.S. from Funimation Films. That's now set on the back of my mind while his latest feat, Museum, is already getting traction with a pair of chilling teasers already online.

Growing up in the 70's and 80's with an affinity for Asian cinema, it's understandable to share fandom with Koike Kazuo's 1970 manga franchise, Lone Wolf And Cub, which later grew to fruition in film and television, as well as on stage. Produced from 1972 through 1974, six films were made starring Wakayama Tomisaburo as the Shogun's executioner, Ogami Itto, who journeys the land with his only son to avenge his family and redeem himself following his disgrace at the hands of a rival clan.

This weekend was a slow one in looking for Hit List content. I also had to make a last minute edit to remove something I temporarily can't share but I do have a few treats to help make up for the light load this week...

It was last August that details were finally ironed out and finalized for the involvement of Warner Bros. Hasbro Inc. and Sweetpea Entertainment in lieu of the upcoming production, Dungeons And Dragons. This week, news appears to be moving forward now with Deadline reporting Divergent film series co-star Ansel Elgort as the first one up for a role in the film with Rob Letterman directing as of March.

Director Luke Scott's new sci-fi thriller, Morgan, has an official trailer out this week following its teaser last month. I'm not much of a horror-genre person but I have my exceptions, and actress Anya Taylor-Joy's performance in the title role as sampled here seems pretty damn gripping.

A whole line-up of LEGO-inspired movies are in the works following the hit success of The LEGO Movie from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, including The LEGO Batman Movie which opens next February. One other title now making the rounds courtesy of the events over at Licensing Expo 2016 in Nevada is Tron: Uprising helmer Charlie Bean's The LEGO Ninjago Movie, based on the popular toyline and with an already-running series iteration of its own on Cartoon Network.

Prospects are looking great for anime classic, Akira with Justin Lin currently circling the long-awaited live-action adaptation according to much fan fervor stemming from last week. Time will tell to see if and how that latest bit sticks while it's been a few years since Lin was attached to a few projects, including an iteration of Jet Li classic, Shaolin Temple.

Filmmaker John Woo is back in the limelight in recent months, and for good reasons aplenty in the wake of his latest international production launch, Manhunt, a remake of Sato Junya's 1976 thriller now slated for 2017. Since then, at least one other helmer circulating his work is actor Stephen Fung who is currently up to direct a remake of Woo's 1991 heist action comedy, Once A Thief, which also piles onto his previous efforts at another Woo title, the 1986 Hong Kong cinema classic, A Better Tomorrow.

The zombie genre has seen a lot of Americanized forms under Hollywood's and US Independent film's eyes. But when another country like Germany gets a hold of a tale for a brief 62 minutes, it is sure to be unique and memorable. Such as is Rammbock: Berlin Undead (US/Canada release 2010). An action/horror/thriller produced by Sigrid Hoerner, and released by The Collective and Bloody Disgusting Selects that partnered with AMC Theatres to bring independent horror film to screens in the United States in early 2011, we follow lovelorn Michael (Michael Fuith) in Berlin, personally returning a set of keys to his ex-girlfriend, Gabi (Anka Graczyk) while there is an outbreak of a virus that turns people into hungry carnivores. Think 28 Days Later (2002) with a German flavor. One can't help but compare Rammbock to the 2002 film but there is no particular pathogen like an infected monkey from a medical research lab as a backstory. Only media reports of people biting and infecting othe…

Fans of those who've enjoyed the latest work from festival-acclaimed director Dante Lam and have been waiting can now breathe with a sigh of relief. With a release date now pending for the new action thriller, Operation Mekong, the first official trailer is online and in full form with a story pulled from the headlines, and told with a compelling display of action, drama and danger.

You're likely to hear a lot more as you may have been about comic book author and screenwriter Mark Millar (Captain America: Civil War, Kick-Ass, Wanted Kingsman). His 2013 graphic novel, Jupiter's Legacy from Image Comics is next on deck for a big screen adaptation with Mark and Brian Gunn, siblings of Marvel movie director James Gunn, providing the script.

Director Roland Emmerich, best known for churning out uber-destructive summer blockbusters tried something a bit different with the LGBTQ drama, Stonewall. It didn't exactly pan out as much as he'd hoped, but needless to say, fans of his usual work won't be bored this weekend, or seemingly not much thereafter.

Director Colm McCarthy's upcoming zombie epic, The Girl With All The Gifts, wasn't something I saw coming. The first official trailer arrived earlier this week though, and words nearly fail to express how solid this adaptation of M.R. Carey's 2014 novel looks.

It almost feels like a return to normalcy now that we have action star Jason Statham back on our screens with the newest trailer for Dennis Gansel's Mechanic: Resurrection. The footage is as explosive and fun as you might imagine with Statham back in the role of Arthur Bishop following the firey finish of Simon West's 2011 remake of the Charles Bronson original.

While director Pierre Morel's 2009 thriller, Taken, was a pure hit that worked in more ways than several for action fans like myself, I can't personally agree that the second and third films did anything for me. Poorly-made editing choices - some of which are now the focal point of many a discussion (or joke) about helmer Oliver Megaton's treatment of the action sequences in the second and third films - have taken center stage with respect to the affectionately named "Bourne-style" that has become so prolific with that of the Jason Bourne movies inspired by the Robert Ludlum novels.

If there's one thing I'm glad about while writing about director Benny Chan's newest period actioner, Call Of Heroes, is the guarantee that it's coming abroad as well. The film is just less than two months out from its release and host to a raft of fine acting and action talents such as Eddie Peng, Sean Lau, Louis Koo and Wu Jing leading the story of a village in 1914, wrought with danger when its protectors arrest the son of a warlord committing vicious acts of murder.

Well, he's set to play Black Adam in Shazam, he's set to play Doc Savage, he's set to tackle monsters, ancient underground wizards, earthquakes, footballers, sun and sand in several other properties, and he's even taking on digital media as we speak. Thus, it begs wondering just when exactly Dwayne Johnson will give himself a break, and apparently, like the proper bankable action hero he is, he's far from done.

If you're wondering when exactly a third installment to Gareth Huw Evans's cult action crime saga, The Raid, your guess is as good as mine. That said, as far as THR is concerned, a 2018 deadline currently remains pending with Indonesian action star Iko Uwais expected to reprise his role as a rookie thrown into the whirlwind of a sprawling crime opera involving Indonesian and Japanese crime families.

With news of Willem Dafoe and Fast 8 co-star Kristofer Hivju confirmed for roles in Zack Snyder's upcoming Justice League, more details are beginning to roll out about what the director has in store. Much of this has to do with a change of pace from the grim and gloomier tone of its predecessor, Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice which faced a massive mix criticism partly founded on its shortcome box office results.

Chances are you've already seen one version of the latest trailer for Koan Hui and Vernie Yeung's League Of Gods. That said, English subs are always awesome and you can view this one below with all the context you need.

This one threw me for a loop. I have to say, looking at the title and the cast for Greg Mottola's Keeping Up With The Joneses. I didn't expect this to be what it was, but after watching the trailer, I can honestly say I'm sold.

Director Dean Israelite has some expectations to fill next year with the release of Saban's Power Rangers. With a March 2017 date stamped and the prospects of at least seven films rebooting for its adaptation of the hit Japanese Tokusatsu series and its subsequent American counterpart, we already have a good idea about how our color-coated heroes will look.

You can pretty much conclude that Christopher McQuarrie's 2012 book adaptation, Jack Reacher was a hard act to follow-up on with a sequel considering its box office results at the time. Alas, it seems it's not always the case that sequels fail to happen if the first installments don't live up, though of course there has to be some modest success and support, which is exactly what that film has.

Straight from the festivities at Cannes and with prospects awaiting its releases in multiple territories, director Yeon Sang-Ho's newest venture, Train To Busan (the follow-up to his 2015 animated feature, Seoul Station) is getting a July 20 release in Korean cinemas. Last month's first teaser was pretty short but very sweet with a glimpse into the chaos-ridden environment offset by a viral zombie outbreak, but now we have a full-on trailer that immerses you further into mankind's contained battle on the undead.

Taking a gander at Cambodia for a bit, a new film is on the horizon from director Jimmy Henderson who caught much of our attention a few years ago with his feature debut, Hanuman. The film, a vigilante revenge thriller starring actor and martial artist Dara Ours, doesn't have any overseas distribution beyond the region just yet, but has been released locally and screened among a few including myself, and while low in budget with some corners cut, the film delivers good and plenty on what it promises when it comes to its fight sequences.

A young girl, Ruka (Eihi Shiina), is one of many witnesses to the assassination of her father (Keisuke Horibe), a traditional policeman rallying others against the privatization of a police force in Tokyo in the near future. At the same time, the assassination of the father's killer leaves a young genetic scientist (Itsuji Itao) scarred. Both youngsters eventually grow up into becoming more than they realize in a land controlled by the now privatized Tokyo Police Corporation to protect the law-abiding innocent. But not all is as it seems within its walls.

Director Rob Hawk has a few titles pending and the latest to come is the theatrical and digital release, Fight Valley. July 22 is the date from Breaking Glass Pictures with a meaty line-up of some of the best and hardest-hitting in mixed-martial arts with actresses Susie Celek and Chelsea Durkalec, and current bantamweight champion Miesha Tate leading the roster.

In the past several years, I've written all I could about the Rurouni Kenshin film series from director Otomo Keishi. I've seen nary a clip nor pirated any of the films even as the film sustained releases in Japan and other parts of Asia and even Europe, and to be honest, it's been torture.

Filmmaker Ding Sheng had a great year last year with his most recent crime thriller, Saving Mr. Wu. Following its overseas release and achieving accolades such as Feature Film Of The Year and Best Actor, the film was granted a limited U.S. theatrical release from United Entertainment Partners back in October - the same people that brought you one of Xu Haofeng's best minimal martial arts dramas, The Final Master just this month.

There's always room for some good old-fashioned R-rated action and comedy and Calvary helmer John Michael McDonagh is here to harness that with his latest, War On Everyone. The film premiered at the Berlinale in 2016 and showcased at SXSW back in March to much avail and judging by IGN's newest red-band trailer, it's easy to see why.

Deadline is reporting of a new adaptation on the way now with Kibuishi Kazu's 2008 Scholastic publication, Amulet from Fox. Casting details are pending but the word is that Aron Coleite, co-executive producer of the new television reboot of Star Trek for CBS will be penning the script for the studio after switching hands from Warner Bros where it landed in 2011.

It was last month that Big Bad Wolves helmers Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado parted ways from the currently brewing Death Wish remake which had been set to commence filming this summer for MGM and Paramount. This week, the word now is that genre director Eli Roth (Knock Knock, The Green Inferno) will direct from a script treatment by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski with Roger Birnbaum producing.

I'm relatively new to Bollywood, and with this, I purely enjoyed Hrithik Roshan's role in the 2014 Knight And Day remake, Bang Bang!. So, I think I'll have another and will take a gander at director Ashutosh Gowariker's latest, Mohenjo Daro as soon as I can following its August 12 release!

It's a great time to be a John Woo fan if you've been nostaligic in recent time. As per the hype, expect his return to glory with the new cinematic re-adaptation, Manhunt which is now underway in Osaka, Japan and scheduled through October this year.

I don't get to attend festivals since they're not in my purview, and so I miss out on a lot of international films that I would love to see on the big screen. That includes director Julien Seri's most recent thriller, Night Fare which explores the dark tale of a bloodthirsty taxi driver on the prowl when a passenger jips him on his fare.

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Right about now you're waiting news over any and all pertaining to Chad Stahelski's John Wick: Chapter Three which is still in production. This week, some of the best news to arise now sees word that Tiger Chen, Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman have all joined the production starring opposite Keanu Reeves who returns to star.
A few photos have gone viral in recent weeks seeing Chen merely hinting a presence on set but this latest update is official. The three are said to play opposite Keanu Reeves according news over at The Hollywood Reporter with Chen back on set following a starring role in the 2014 kung fu spiritual drama, Man Of Tai Chi.
It's an update worth noting as it hopefully sets up for a larger Hollywood screen presence for all three martial arts stars who've seen their rise in all of the last nine years collectively, including that of Chen whose friendship dates back to production on The Matrix trilogy. Ruhian and Rahman have been earning their claim to…

Well this is spiffy. Who Taffy Edwards is remains a mystery while said individual sits in the directors chair for upcoming independent crime pic, English Dogs. The film is set to arrive sometime this year and has Time Rush actors Byron Gibson (Only God Forgives) and martial arts sensation, action actor Ron Smoorenberg (Asura) leading the cast.
Plot details are nil as things stand, save for what we can extrapolate from the official trailer that premiered on Wednesday in addition to the film's doughty tagline: "There are 340 breeds of Dogs on the Planet but there can only be one Alpha". And that's about all we got to work with along with what the trailer offers in its ambitious British gangster tropes with Thailand as the backdrop, and watching Gibson throwdown along with shots of Smoorenberg in his element on top of chewing some scenery as a crimeboss, which is always welcome.
Check out the trailer below!

The last few years have seen the wheels turn quite a bit for director Jesse Haaja who made history in debuting Finland's first comic book superhero movie, Rendel. Nowadays he's developing other properties including Furrow, but that doesn't necessarily count out prospects for a sequel while genre specialist Raven Banner has anything to say for it.
Such is what includes Jeremy Kay's Screen International report this weekend with word that sales on a sequel to the Finnish superhero hit film have launched at the Cannes market. Producers at Black Lion Pictures and Frozen Flame Pictures are planning an early 2019 shoot on Rendel 2 which has Haaja returning to the helm to follow up the story of a family man previously resurrected from near-death with a brutal, masked alterego to seek revenge in the name of a city crying out for justice against a criminal organization and their pharmaceutical cohorts. “I can’t even describe how excited I am for this,” Haaja said of the ongoing s…

An exasperating wait, no less, for folks like myself who live in the U.S.. Still, it's nice to know that a Blu-Ray/Digital HD release of the new tournament martial arts thriller, Boyka: Undisputed, is well on its way with an August release, while it's even nicer to know that the film's star, actor and martial artist Scott Adkins wants to do a fifth.
He says so at around the 11:40 mark in his latest interview now online following his recent appearance at MCM Expo in London this week to discuss the role and the film as a whole - And not for nothing either as he continues to pound away at fans who enjoy his movies, but insist on stealing them online which will otherwise kill any chance of the film happening before 2030 if we're lucky (my words, not his).
Adkins also shares several new images from his latest, Accident Man, and some gems on Michael Cuesta's American Assassin, working with Tony Jaa on the recently-wrapped ensemble action thriller, Triple Threat, and muc…

With weeks away before cameras roll for upcoming martial arts mobster comedy, Made In Chinatown, we can report that the production will pair director Art Camacho with producer Robert Samuels who will also share the helm as co-director. The news comes roughly one week since Camacho's arrival to the director's chair after replacing another filmmaker who was already attached as the film underwent several months of development.
Camacho and Samuels will direct from a script by executive producer and author Mark V. Wiley that centers on Vinny, a hapless Chinatown resident who, with the help of his sifu and a select few good friends, works to assimilate himself into Italian mob life and gain top-tier status whilst in pursuit of the girl of his dreams. The independent New York City-set action comedy production lands stuntman, world-class wushu stylist and champion Gold medalist, actor Alfred Hsing (Ready Player One, Ip Man 3, Birth Of The Dragon) his first major acting role.
Hungry …

I myself couldn't really get past some of the fan-service that culminates all seemingly ado with the current Kickboxer franchise following the reboot in 2016. I suppose the best part is that Dmitri Logothetis has found a direction to take it in, onward from Vengeance through Redemption and now with the third, Kickboxer: Armageddon. And indeed, that's Alain Moussi in the footage donning a whole new Kurt Sloan we haven't seen before. Brand new look and all!
Other details are officially pending but Logothetis himself has mentioned the possible return of Mike Tyson, Ronadinho and Christopher Lambert in addition to George St. Pierre and other UFC and sports favorites...and Snoop Dogg for some reason? He's also presented a brand new teaser to help stir the fandom some, so check it out anf expect more Kickboxer news onward through 2019.

The May 17, 2019 release of John Wick: Chapter Three pretty much has everyone engaged losing their collective skulls at the moment. Production is already underway and confirming previous rumors of late is actress Halle Berry asserting her place in the cast.
Thus, she'll be joining in with a lot for the film's returning cast members, in addition to a wave of new names totaling actors Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane and Lance Reddick all reprising their roles, and with actresses Asia Kate Dillon and Anjelica Huston, and actors Mark Dacascos and Jason Mantzoukas to the cast.
The production has released cast cards with the roles all respective to the performers listed for whom Chad Stahelski will direct for Lionsgate for the production's remaining duration. Check it all out below and stay tuned, because I'm ready for more surprises! JOHN WICK 3: PARABELLUM Cast

Events at Cannes have been a turning point for some film fans highly keen on all things ado with action star, Jean-Claude Van Damme. Having made a splash this year with buzz for the launch of his Rodin Entertainment sales banner and announcing another slate of film prospects, his latest offering now brings us a pulsating look at Braqueurs helmer Julien Leclerq's new thriller, Lukas, otherwise hailed in our territories as The Bouncer.Lukas, a nightclub bouncer in his fifties who's taken punches, literally and figuratively, struggles to raise his 8 year old daughter. One day, Lukas loses control during an altercation with a client and ends up in jail, while his daughter gets placed under the care of social services. But things take an unexpected turn when Interpol recruits Lukas to bring down a Dutch ringleader operating from Belgium in exchange for his daughter's custody.
The first official teaser and accommodation poster have both arrived and very befitting with one anoth…

About five years ago I managed to interview stuntwoman, actress and producer Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez. It was through her I managed to build a rapport with several other veterans and up-and-comers in the industry whilst getting an angle going on covering the stunt field and it was a privelege to be able to exchange with her than as it still is now from time to time.

She's a talented singer as well - a fact that I was reminded of clean and clear when last year, I managed to screen one of her most recent short film appearances, Pimpkillah, courtesy of filmmaker and comic book creator Sarah Bitely. I think it quite surprised Michelle and that was sort of the feeling I got when I commented on one of her posts at the time.

Alas, the shortfilm has since gone public, marking a significant milestone for the budding filmmaker and comic book creator who moved from her hometown on the outskirts of DC/Baltimore in Maryland to Los Angeles, California in 2010. Her coming out party has assuredly …

Saban Films has kept its own market waiting long enough it seems and thus, the official trailer went live for Pasha Patriki's latest, Black Water, hailing a fifth pairing for action star duo Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. The film is written by Chad Law with a story that centers on a deep cover operative who awakens, imprisoned in the confines of a CIA black site on a submarine and forced in a race against the clock to search for answers amidst a daring escape.Action-movie icons Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren deliver a double shot of adrenaline-fueled excitement in this heartpounding undersea thriller. After a failed mission, deep-cover operative Wheeler (Van Damme) is imprisoned in a CIA black site on a submarine. The CIA agents will to go to any lengths to get information from Wheeler—but nothing can prepare them for the storm of violence that erupts when he joins forces with a fellow prisoner (Lundgren) as deadly as he is mysterious. Black Water opens throu…